August, 2013
As part of our effort to fight for objective and honest media, RATM has created an “Integrity in Journalism” award. This award is presented to those journalists who exhibit the characteristics which are critical in those to whom we turn to for our news and information. These are, foremost, integrity – that trait which underlies the determination to do the right and honest thing; perseverance, which is required among journalists in pursuing stories regardless of their complexity or political context; objectivity, which is paramount in reporting the news, and finally, the courage to act on these three other characteristics. We are presenting this award in two categories: “Mainstream Media” and “New Media.
The preamble of the Society of Professional Journalists’s code of ethics states: “Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society’s principles and standards of practice.”
Rage Against the Media could not agree more, and is heartened that this Society holds this to be true. Sadly, very few MS journalists live up to this code.
Sharyl Attkisson, however, is one of the few who does.
She alone has “sought truth” and has “provided a fair and comprehensive account” of a number of events and issues of importance to Americans, events that no other mainstream reporter has been willing to touch. While indeed she has won awards for reporting on stories such as Fast and Furious, we here at Rage Against the Media would like to herald her for not only for her continued and steadfast pursuit of that and other stories, but especially for her pursuit of the truth about what happened in Benghazi last September 11th, even in clear defiance of a tacit blackout by the rest of the major media networks (with the sole exception of Fox News). She alone exhibits this “professional integrity” which the SPJ upholds as the cornerstone of credibility, and continues to demonstrate a responsibility to the American people rather than to an ideology. We are deeply grateful to Sharyl Attkisson for taking full advantage of the first-amendment-guaranteed freedom of the press, and for remembering why it is we need honest, objective journalism: self-government can only work when the people are well informed; Ms. Attkisson has demonstrated through her reporting that she takes this to heart. For this, we are honoring her with Rage Against the Media’s inaugural Integrity in Journalism award. She has shown us that, indeed, it is possible to survive, and even thrive, in a mainstream media newsroom as an investigative reporter who takes her duty to the American people – and the TRUTH – seriously. We hold her up as a beacon to other journalists, and to students of journalism; she is a guiding light, as this award indicates, and we hope that others will follow in her path.